The Viral Talk

By Federico De Angelis, Bobbie-Anne Turner

What is a virus? What does spillover mean? How can viruses infect humans? If these are things that you would like to know but lack the time or energy to research them, then welcome to The Viral Talk, ... more

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FAQs about The Viral Talk:

How many episodes does The Viral Talk have?

The podcast currently has 29 episodes available.

The Viral Talk episodes:

February 01, 2024 Ask a professional - Pathobiology with Dr Vanessa Herder
This is ‘Ask a professional’, the format of the
Viral Talk where the focus is on the science but most importantly the PERSON behind the science. From insect-borne viruses to SARS-CoV-2, we’re going to interview experts from the UK and the world on their research and then we’re
going to talk about their career, future prospects and tips for younger generations of future scientists. In this episode Federico interviews Dr Vanessa Herder, pathobiologist at the Centre for Virus Research at the Universty of Glasgow. In this episode we’re going to talk about looking at tissues to understand how viruses can cause disease, having the courage to change career paths and loving what we do.

For the sciency people:
SARS-CoV-2 in cats - doi: 10.1002/vetr.247. Epub 2021 Apr 22.

Review on pathology due to virus infection - 10.1016/B978-0-12-375156-0.00007-2

Who si Vanessa? https://www.vanessa-herder.com/
What does her work focus on? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lMNfWYs4t4&ab_channel=VanessaHerder
Vanessa's Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessaherder/

Follow The Viral Talk on X (formerly Twitter) –
⁠https://twitter.com/The_Viral_Talk⁠
On IG – @the_viral_talk_
On Linkedin
–https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-viral-talk/
Leave a Review of the episode on Podchaser.com
- ⁠https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-viral-talk-5094049⁠

...more
18min
January 18, 2024Episode 12 - What are our innate defenses against viruses?
What are the ways in which our bodies protect us from viral infections? Is it easy for a virus to establish an infection? This and much more in this episode of The Viral Talk.

Key takeaways:
There are very few ways in which a virus can manage to infect us, and all of them require to surpass the skin in some way, such as getting through cuts, through the mouth, the nose, the eyes or the reproductive organs;

There are multiple physical and chemical barriers that prevent viruses from infecting us all the time at each of the vulnerable sites;

These include pH, presence of mucus to trap invaders, various enzymes that degrade proteins and even our microbiota (aka the bacteria living in us);

The gut has also regions filled with immune cells that scan the environment and activate the immune response if they detect a viral infection going on;

In addition, most cells (not just immune cells) are capable of producing a set of molecules called Interferons;

Interferons are the master molecules that have evolved to specifically counter viral infections, and are produced when a cell recognises that it has been infected;

Interferons also act as signals that alert other, non-infected cells that there are invaders;

Interferons also activate the process of inflammation, which brings at the point of infection other immune cells, so that the adaptive immune response can start;

Articles for the most interested:
Physical barriers to infection - https://teachmephysiology.com/immune-system/innate-immune-system/barriers-to-infection/
Review on interferons - https://www.nature.com/articles/nri3787
How does the immune system works? - https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zyxg7p3/revision/2
Follow the Viral Talk on IG - https://www.instagram.com/the_viral_talk_/

On Twitter - https://twitter.com/The_Viral_Talk
And Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-viral-talk/
...more
17min
December 14, 2023 Ask a Professional - Zika virus and climate change with Nerea Irigoyen
This is ‘Ask a professional’, the format of the Viral Talk where the focus is on the science but most importantly the PERSON
behind the science. From insect-borne viruses to SARS-CoV-2, we’re going to interview experts from the UK and the world on their research and then we’re going to talk about their career, future prospects and tips for younger generations of future scientists. In this episode Federico interviews
Nerea Irigoyen, Research group leader in the Pathology department of the University of Cambridge. We’re going to talk about Zika virus in pregnancy, the role of climate change for mosquito-borne viruses, and keeping in mind that science is frustrating.

For the sciency people:
What do we know about Zika virus and pregnancy? - https://www.cdc.gov/pregnancy/zika/pregnancy.html

Preprint on the identification of novel proteins in Zika virus with a role in neurodegeneration – https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/112904v2
Who’s Nerea Irigoyen (on X) – https://twitter.com/NereaIrigoyen
(Uni of Cambridge) - https://www.path.cam.ac.uk/directory/dr-nerea-irigoyen

Follow The Viral Talk on X (formerly Twitter) –
https://twitter.com/The_Viral_Talk
On IG – @the_viral_talk_
On Linkedin
–https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-viral-talk/
Leave a Review of the episode on Podchaser.com
- https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-viral-talk-5094049
...more
24min
November 30, 2023 Ask a Professional - AI and pandemic preparedness with Marcus Blagrove
This is ‘Ask a professional’, the new format of the Viral Talk where the focus is on the science but most importantly the PERSON behind the science. From insect-borne viruses to SARS-CoV-2, we’re going to interview experts from the UK and the world on their research and then we’re going to talk about their career, future prospects and tips for younger generations of future scientists. In this episode Federico interviews Marcus Blagrove, Senior Lecturer in Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour at the
University of Liverpool. In this episode we’re going to talk about AI in virology, pandemic preparedness, being a cycling world champion and the importance of the working environment when you start your PhD.

For the sciency people:
Using AI to predict association between previously non-associated viruses and mammals - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-24085-w
Preprint on the role of life expectancy on virus burden in mammals (the one mentioned in the episode) - http://dx.doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2722217/v1

AI to predict new hosts of coronaviruses - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21034-5

Who’s Marcus Blagrove? - https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/infection-veterinary-and-ecological-sciences/staff/marcus-blagrove/
Follow The Viral Talk on X (formerly Twitter) –
https://twitter.com/The_Viral_Talk/
On IG – @the_viral_talk_
On Linkedin
–https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-viral-talk/

Leave a Review of the episode on Podchaser.com
- https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-viral-talk-5094049

...more
20min
November 16, 2023 Ask a Professional series - SARS-CoV-2 variants with Wil Furnon
This is ‘Ask a professional’, the new format of the Viral Talk where the focus is on the science but most importantly the PERSON behind the science. From insect-borne viruses to SARS-CoV-2, we’re going to interview experts from the UK and the world on their research and then we’re going to talk about their career, future prospects and tips for younger generations of future scientists. In this episode Federico interviews Dr Wil Furnon, Post doctoral research associate at the Centre for Virus Research of the University of Glasgow. In this episode we’re going to talk about SARS-CoV-2 variants of concerns (or VOCs), virus evolution, deciding that geology has too much math and the importance of handling failure well.

For the sciency people:
A nice review on the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-023-00878-2
Tracking and naming the Variants of Concern (VOCs) of SARS-CoV-2 - 10.3390/microorganisms9050926
SARS-CoV-2 Variants and Classification - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/variants/variant-classifications.html
Follow Dr Wil Furnon on X (formerly Twitter) - https://twitter.com/WFurnon
Follow The Viral Talk on X (formerly Twitter) – https://twitter.com/The_Viral_Talk/

On IG – @the_viral_talk_
On Linkedin
–https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-viral-talk/
Leave a Review of the episode on Podchaser.com
- https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-viral-talk-5094049

...more
25min
November 02, 2023 Ask a Professional series - mRNA modification and viral infections with Hannah Burgess
This is ‘Ask a professional’, the new format of the Viral Talk where the focus is on the science but most importantly the PERSON behind the science. From insect-borne viruses to SARS-CoV-2, we’re going to interview experts from the UK and the world on their research and then we’re going to talk about their career, future prospects and tips for younger generations of future scientists.

Join the host Federico in the second episode of the series interviewing Hannah Burgess, lecturer in the Department of Microbial Sciences at the University of Surrey. In this episode we’re going to cover the role of mRNA modification in infection, changing career without disappointing your parents and the importance of engaging with people at conferences.

For the sciency people:

mRNA modifications as regulators of protein expression - DOI: ⁠10.1080/15476286.2016.1203504⁠
What are the general strategies viruses use to manipulate RNA? -
⁠DOI: 10.1101/gad.349276.121⁠

How certain host proteins control mRNA length to control viral infections - DOI: ⁠10.15252/embr.202256327⁠

Dr Hannah Burgess' lab - https://www.surrey.ac.uk/people/hannah-burgess#about

Follow Dr Hannah Burgess on X (formerly Twitter) -
https://twitter.com/HannahmBurgess
Follow The
Viral Talk on X (formerly Twitter) – https://twitter.com/The_Viral_Talk

On IG –
@the_viral_talk_

On Linkedin
–https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-viral-talk/

Leave a
Review of the episode on Podchaser.com - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-viral-talk-5094049
...more
14min
October 19, 2023 Ask a Professional series - Bunyaviruses with Mark Stenglein
This is ‘Ask a professional’, the new format of the Viral Talk where the focus is on the science but most importantly the PERSON behind the science. From insect-borne viruses to SARS-CoV-2, we’re going to interview experts from the UK and the world on their research and then we’re going to talk about their career, future prospects and tips for younger generations of future scientists.

Join the host Federico in the first episode of the series interviewing Mark Stenglein, the Associate Professor of
Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology at Colorado State University. In this episode we’re going to cover Bunyaviruses (vector-borne viruses), non-canonical ways to academia and how to discover what we like to do.

For the sciency people:

Review on bunyaviruses - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK8004/

Bunyaviruses reassortment - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0042682213004509

Virus reassortment in general - https://doi.org/10.1371%2Fjournal.ppat.1004902

Why should we study viruses?
Mark’s take on the case of studying more and unknown viruses - 10.1146/annurev-virology-100220-112915

Prof Mark Stenglein lab - https://www.stengleinlab.org/

Follow The
Viral Talk on X (formerly Twitter) – https://twitter.com/The_Viral_Talk

On IG –
@the_viral_talk_

On Linkedin
–https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-viral-talk/

Leave a
Review of the episode on Podchaser.com - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-viral-talk-5094049
...more
20min
October 05, 2023Episode 11 - Acute vs persistent viral infections
What are the differences between acute and persistent viral infections? How can certain viruses stay with us forever and never be cleared? This and much more in this episode of The Viral Talk.

Key takeaways:
An acute infection is characterized by a sudden or rapid development of disease, that can either be resolved quickly or lead to death;

In a persistent infection, the virus is not cleared by our body, and it either becomes latent (e.g Herpes Simplex Virus) or it keeps replicating at low levels for very long periods of time (e.g. Hepatitis B Virus, HIV);

For a latent infection to become a persistent infection,
it needs two characteristics: persistence and reversibility.

Reversibility is the ability of a virus to resume
active viral replication after undergoing latency, persistence is the ability
to stay in our body without being eliminated/cleared for a long period of time.

A latent virus that lacks a way to be ‘re-activated’
only causes dead-end infections.

Herpesviruses and Retroviruses are the only known
viral families able to undergo latency.

Latency is a successful survival strategy that allows
viruses to avoid being cleared by the host’s defences.

In addition to latent viral infections, there is
another type of infection which is chronic viral infections.

In chronic infections, the virus keeps replicating
inside the host for long periods of time without being cleared, causing low levels of pathology. The best example for this is HIV, followed by Hepatitis B virus.
Constant rounds of infection by these viruses lead to
the onset of the diseases they’re known for, AIDS and hepatitis, respectively.

Articles for the most interested:
General definition of persistent viral infections - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK8538/
Common threads in persistent viral infections - https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/jvi.01905-09
Retroviruses in the human genome - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2018.02039/full
How do viruses go latent? - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2914632/#:~:text=In%20latent%20infection%2C%20the%20full,additional%20properties%3A%20persistence%20and%20reversibility.
Follow the Viral Talk on IG -
https://www.instagram.com/the_viral_talk_/

On Twitter - https://twitter.com/The_Viral_Talk
And Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-viral-talk/
...more
23min
September 21, 2023Episode 10 - How do viruses hijack the cell?
How can tiny viruses hijack a cell and make it do their bidding? How can they survive a whole organism trying to get rid of them? This and much more in this episode of The Viral Talk.

Key takeaways:
Viruses make three types of proteins. One type to replicate, one type to protect their genome once they're outside of the host, and one to modify the cell they infect at their 'whim'.

The proteins they use to change the structure of the cell often work through 'mimicry'. They have motifs/domains that resemble cellular proteins, which interact with our proteins to either stop their function or re-direct it.

Common to most viral infection is a phenomenon called host translation shut off, in which cellular protein production goes down and viral protein production goes up.

Translation shut off can be achieved by either destroying cellular mRNA or tricking the cellular translation machinery into believing that viral mRNA is in fact cellular mRNA.

Viruses have also evolved multiple ways to shut down the immune response of cells, through accessory proteins that are not incorporated into the final viral particles but without which they don't fare very well.

They have also evolved multiple ways to mimic cellular 'messenger molecules', by doing so causing distruptions in the way cells can respond to infection.

These viral proteins are also very important targets for the development of antiviral drugs.
Articles for the most interested:
DOI:10.1038/nri980 - Viral mimicry of messenger molecules

DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4952 - Influenza mimicry of histone 3

DOI: 10.1006/viro.2000.0816 - HIV Nef protein and MHC

DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro267 - Viral Cap snatchin

https://viralzone.expasy.org/1579#:~:text=Viruses%20have%20evolved%20ways%20of,to%20evade%20host%20immune%20response%20 - Nice resource that lists way in which viruses cause translation shut off.

https://www.instagram.com/the_viral_talk_/

https://twitter.com/The_Viral_Talk
And Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-viral-talk/

Contact The Viral Talk via email - [email protected]
Leave a Review of the episode on Podchaser.com - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-viral-talk-5094049
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20min
August 03, 2023Episode 9 - How do viruses cause disease?
How do viruses cause disease? What are the processes that make us sick and what can we do about it? This and much more in this episode of The Viral Talk.

Takeaways:
When viruses infect our cells they hijack them and sequester all the resources that the cell might need to stay alive, causing it to malfunction and die.
Infected cells also recognize that they're infected and 'self-destruct' to stop the infection.

When cells recognize a virus they release signals that call in the immune system, which leads to inflammation and cell death.

The virulence of a virus is dependent both on its genomic content and its 'tropism' aka the tissues and cells that it infects.

Influenza has a preference for cells of the respiratory tract and causes respiratory infections. HIV infects immune cells and therefore causes AIDS.

Some viruses like Ebolaviruses do not have a preferred cell and are able to infect most of them, causing very severe, generalised infections.

The type of disease is also due to mutations in our genome, which can make us more or less prone to severe immune responses called 'cytokine storms'.

Links and scientific papers:
...more
21min

FAQs about The Viral Talk:

How many episodes does The Viral Talk have?

The podcast currently has 29 episodes available.